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Launch.com

The band’s most energetic record since 1993’s Get A Grip.

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Sonicnet

Granted, not everything here is top drawer scarf-worthy.... Still, it's worth noting that the album works to a middle-of-the-set peak -- which means that Aerosmith understands the dynamics of CD construction better than bands half its age.

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CDNow

An expert balance of vintage Aerosmith and more contemporary stylings.

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Wall of Sound

One of the group's most adventurous outings...

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Entertainment Weekly

No one will mistake ''Play'' for one of the band's best discs, but neither will anyone who enjoys the signature sound of one of America's musical treasures fail to find pleasure in its polished, mostly ungimmicky grooves.

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Spin Cycle

While nothing else on "Play" quite matches the slinky intimacy of its Top 10 single, "Jaded," every song has something to root for, whether it's the title track's inventive genre-shuffle, Tyler's spontaneous yodeling or the way "Under My Skin" continues the band's love of gender-bending.

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Billboard

Sure, there's the occasional melodramatic interlude (despite its lyrical cliches, "Luv Lies" has the potency to be another "Angel"-size smash). But there's also more white-knuckled hard-rock intensity here than on the band's most recent efforts.

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Rolling Stone

Except for the predictable re-entry "Fly Away From Here," Boston's bad boys have jettisoned the sappy ballads and slick producers that fueled recent releases, unveiling a homemade endeavor which recasts the crunch and cadence of vintage Aerosmith.

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Dot Music

Fans of Aerosmith, and fans of good old Rock Music will love it.

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New Musical Express

Much of the 'Smith's music is reassuringly familiar, barely changed over their previous 12 albums, a mix of loose-jointed Stones raunch and vast power ballads impressive enough to bring out the 40-something in all of us.

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Q Magazine

Yet while the sound of these songs is often great, the bad news is that most of the songs themselves leave little lasting impression.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

The acceptable outweighs the embarrassing.

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PopMatters

Despite the fact that some of this album makes me Just Push Skip rather than follow the instructions of the title track, there are numerous moments of pure Aerosmith brilliance that justify tolerance of the weaker songs.

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New York Magazine

Along the way, though, Aerosmith slips into the stylized studio excesses of a professional producer (it might also be their only album to have strings on half the songs), and the ballads the band does deliver are as corny as anything it's ever done.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 37 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

steve c gave it a10:
loads of fun

David C gave it a10:
This is easily the greatest sounding Aerosmith recording. The mix is masterful. The songs are some of their very best, as well. I cannot understand how anyone could fault this disk. It's brilliant.

Eddie C gave it an8:
This isn't their best album, but its great for a tiny change from their usual more rocking sound, though this can be considered a more "pop-ish" album, with all the balads, its still a great album..

Allen B gave it a3:
This cd is just down right horrible! It reminds me of a Brittney Spears record! Why they are selling out is beyond me!

B M gave it a10:
totally bitchin!!!

kartik k gave it a10:
Definitely one of the best collection of Aerosmith i've ever heard to.

Franz M gave it a2:
At least on Nine Lives, they sounded anxious to make another record, something darker than they'd done in years. This one here is just an album for the sake of having a new product to go out and promote on tour. And it's embarrassing.

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